Bangkok Barren

The tension in the air is as palatable as the humidity hanging from dark clouds that are symbolic of the political situation here in Thailand.

The few foreigners in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok are only slightly outnumbered by Thai people. All civilians are outnumbered by police. The police are far outnumbered by military. Sukhumvit Road, a principle tourist area, is lined with police and military.

The red shirts - United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) - have been protesting for weeks now and there have been several violent clashes and a number of lives lost. Recently, the red shirts stormed Chulalongkorn Hospital, one of the city's main hospitals, causing serious concern in an already explosive situation.

The UDD has closed down the Silom district with a tremendous impact on the businesses in this the central business district. Last week, RPG's fired by UDD supporters hit the Sala Daeng BTS Sky train station, closing the service for over a day. Since that incident, protesters have hunkered down for a prolonged demonstration.

Traffic in the 'City of Eternal Traffic Jams' is worse than ever. Most taxi drivers will only take fares that go away from protest areas. Motorcycle taxis are the only way to get about. My short trip along Petchaburi Road to Panthip Plaza was largely uneventful, but only because my driver skillfully weaved through the throngs of motionless autos. Most of the streets connecting to Sukhumvit, just over the khlong (canal), were blocked by protesters. Barricades made of car tires, razor wire and bamboo were backed by protesters. The city appeared to be ground to a halt, yet, in that mysterious Thai way, somehow functioning.

On the street just outside my hotel, there were several dozen military with riot shield, full riot gear, automatic weapons and other support. Only in Thailand will you find the military smiling and saying hello to people, allowing photographs and even posing with children. In any other country they would ignore all civilians. Yet this is part of the unique and enchanting aspect of Thai culture. They are resilient and somehow manage to maintain a sense of humor even in the most challenging situations.

I thought about that as my taxi entered the tollway to the airport. The tollway was empty and my taxi driver pointed the car down the fast lane at 140km per hour. As we neared the airport, traffic slowed to a crawl. Police and military reduced traffic flow to two lanes and were clearly checking to make sure that there was no repeat of last year's protests that closed Suvarnbumi Airport.

The airport was empty. Airport staff were talking about the red shirts - clearly they did not like what was happening. Thai airways has reportedly canceled 15% of its regular scheduled flights and there is an eerie quiet to one of the largest airports in Southeast Asia.

I fear for the immediate future as there appears to be no way out of the current situation without something breaking. But then I remember that this is Thailand, a country with a history of coups and political turmoil and the unerring ability to forge forward regardless.